It was a while ago.

Back in Baltimore when Pixel was still just Mal and the freedom of the Space arcanum was nothing but a pipe dream. College was a financial impossibility and existence was hunger and, when he was lucky enough, solitude. Brief windfalls of cash got him by as his rep got him more and more attention he didn't want.

That day though? That started easy. Cash for an ID. A specific state employee's ID, stored in a purse and easy to take. One picture for reference and no questions type deal. She even stopped for groceries before she went home to make it easy for him. Totally creepy that someone just knew that much about her but hey, it wasn't about what Mal thought or wanted. Getting caught on all those priors? It meant he didn't get to be picky anymore. No one would hire him, and he was starving.

He had been to her store. Spotted the cameras and watched the people come and go a few times. It was as easy as it could be. She didn't look like anything special in person. Jane Doe in her thirties buying some veggies and cereal. He was missing something about her, but incomplete pictures were nothing new at this point. She turned away to go back for something and he swooped in. Plucked out her wallet and the ID inside. She never even suspected that sweet, innocent looking gentleman who walked past. They never did.

She eventually called the cops, but that didn't bother Mal as much as the missing persons report he found a few weeks afterwards.

He generally chose to focus on the fact he wasn't hungry anymore after a job.

Sometimes it even worked.